Gene Lee of The HD Pilot continues his aerobatics lessons from Adam Baker, a local airshow aerobatic pilot, in his RV-7A. In this video, the second in the series, Gene starts out the lesson more stall/spin recovery techniques. Then the two have a little more fun with some aerobatics. See the first video in the series here.

Seventeen-year-old Ella, 16-year-old Jonathan and 15-year-old Benjamin Robbins are passionate about aviation. The homeschooled trio from Ferndale, Wash., have been designing and building their own radio-controlled aircraft for several years. [Read more…]

A study commissioned by the Israeli Air Force has shown that using a new app from GlassesOff resulted in “significant improvements in critical visual functions” of pilots in need of reading glasses. [Read more…]

An experienced pilot will make a better decision about whether to attempt a marginal landing while showing only about half as much brain activity as less experienced pilots, according to a recent study completed by scientists at Stanford University. A report on AVweb quotes the study’s lead author, Maheen Adamson: “The data show that the expert pilot seems to just know what to look for, where to look and when to look.”

Forget a Sweet Sixteen party. Wyatt Angel of Mount Airy, N.C., spent his 16th birthday doing something way more fun — flying 11 airplanes solo at the Mount Airy-Surry County Airport (KMWK), then making his way to the Piedmont Soaring Society in nearby Farmington, where he soloed three gliders.

He hopes his birthday celebration will win him a spot in the world record books.

Soloing 14 aircraft on the first day he was legally allowed to solo was something Wyatt had been planning for a long time.[Read more…]

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is bringing together U.S. and Canadian officials in an effort to make crossing the border a simpler, less cumbersome and more manageable experience for general aviation pilots and passengers.

FAR 91.17 prohibits flying after the use of “any drug that affects the person’s faculties in any way contrary to safety.” Yet every year pilots crash, killing themselves and their passengers, often because the pilot is chemically compromised by over the counter medications.

That’s the big message from a recent study by the National Transportation Safety Board on the use of drugs in the pilot population and how it contributes to accidents. The study concluded that drug use of all types, including prescription medications, is on the rise and, therefore, the risk of impairment from drugs is also increasing.